Leaving Kids/Family while flying

[greyhound]

When I was at Greyhound I would be away for about 2-3 days. Back home for 1-2 days then out on the road again.(Literally)

As soon as we had our son, my wife quit her job. Yeah we took in about $800 less per month by her quiting her job, but it was for a good reason. To raise our son!

You do need to SACRIFICE. Some people put more importance in material things than their kids. Many ERRONEOUSLY believe that working hard and buying everything a kid would want is going to result in a happy kid.

That's just not the case. My wife doesn't regret quiting her job because she has spent that time with our son.

Any "SOLID" marriage and family can handle a spouse or parent being away from home for a few days at a time. But that time at home has to be quality time. We would go out together, I would help around the house, take kid to park, or just plain talk and see if my chosen lifestyle was hurting our relationship. If problems arouse,(and they did once in a while) we would talk them out.

Maybe that's why I never really felt sorry for enjoying myself when I was away. I made up for it when I was home......

 

[AV1ATRX]

Hey Greyhound,


I was at a Cessna Pilot Center seminar one time and John King (I think it was him, anyway) said that Greyhound wouldn't hire drivers with pilot's licenses because they would get "bored on the job." Have you ever heard that? I always wondered if that was true...

 

[Bandit60]

This is one of the big advantage about being a corporate pilot. I am home alot more than not, and if I have to work that day I will probably be home that night. My wife is a school teacher so she can take the kids to and from school. It works out nicely. During the summer when I tend to do more ron's my wife is home with the kids.

 

[greyhound]

That's a first..

Never heard that one before AVIATRX.
I wonder why he thinks pilots would get bored.
Driving requires more attention than cruising around with an autopilot.
So I don't know where that came from.

I had co-workers with pilot licenses. Many wanna-beairline pilots like myself. Only I had the courage to leave a cushy job. (But no real future, but
I guess some would argue the same about flying for an airline.)

 

[vossdr1]

FlyGirl,

I did that once. I will not do that again. I saw them about one day each week. It was too much for all of us.

My corporate gig has me home, on average, every night but one each month. I want to have my kids, so does my wife. I want to be part of their lives. I like to fly, but not at the sacrifice of my involvement in their lives.

 

[FlyGirlFelicia]

If you and your husband both believe that not staying at home is more important than a child, buy a doll and don't have any kids.

So according to you, everyone who has kids should both be home "taking care" of this said child 24/7? 365 days a year??? Both parents? Please.

What a rediculous thing to say. Any good relationship will have compromise, and any good parent will be involved in their child's life regardless of their job. Raise good kids who understand the reality that not every parent has (or wants) a 9-5 desk job, as well as the importance of being there for their soccer game. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices in both directions, which is realistic. I think a balance can be achieved so that neither family or career suffer. If I saw that my child was having serious issues, I'd take the time off and deal with it because ofcourse they come first, even if that meant losing my job. I would do that no matter where I worked. Plus, in this industry, where job security and seniority really matter, I know that I may be flying for a commuter for 15+ years, especially if after a few years of scheduling craziness it allows me to come home at the end of the day every 9 out of every 10 trips.

As I understand it, from many airline families out there, you have to want both career and family very badly to make it all work, and it does.

 

[eddie]

If you are so sure it will work, why did you ask?

I've contemplated how it might work out for several years. The only way it would work is if one or both of you was very senior. Even then, if you don't have free childcare (ie. siblings or parents) who are willing to take your kids overnight it is going to be very expensive to find 24 hour care. So if you are senior and make a lot of money, then it will work fine...until you realize that you're both missing all the important landmarks in your baby's life while lounging in that great hotel in Podunk, Texas. Not to mention if you'll ever see your husband since one of you will have to commute to work.

Sorry to sound so negative, but do you have a dog? What do you do with that dog when you're on a 4 day, or if you fly P135, where does he go when you're on that 3 day that turns into 9 days?

 

[Gulfstream 200]

good luck.

I have yet to see a "balance" if one is a pilot and the other works full time.

The better paying flying jobs (especially corp) require worldwide flying (GIV/GV/Globals) and hence one half can be gone for extended periods....yes, also home for extended periods - but kids dont benefit from this.

A good wife/mother at home is worth a million. Its a job I could never do. I can handle two days - maybe. I would drive a POS car and live in a very modest house before sending my kid(s) to a stranger to be raised. Get laid off or something? sure...now you revert to survival mode and 2 incomes may be needed simply to live. Different story.

Those of us lucky to have incredible women at home doing this kid raising know what I mean!

As far as career chik pilots having babies....pretty rare...most butch pilot chik types are hell bent on proving they are men anyways!

 

[Standby 1]

Okay, yes, it can be done and done well. Both my husband and I fly for two different 121 carriers. We just have to arrange our schedules carefully because the only people we feel comfortable leaving kiddies with is grandmas and grandpas (both sets live out of state, which is a bummer). But the key is to have enough seniority where you work to be able to a) coordinate your schedules and b) drop down in hours as needed. Of course, this means that you hardly ever get to see each other, but the important thing is that one of you is always with the kids and they DO NOT get left in daycare with someone else raising them.




...

 

[Standby 1]

As far as career chik pilots having babies....pretty rare...most butch pilot chik types are hell bent on proving they are men anyways!

Perhaps this is true in the corporate pilot ranks, but not remotely the case in the 121 world. I can name a dozen happily married mothers who fly for airlines, just off the top of my head.

And no, I never have been, never will be, nor would I want to be a man. (I think it would suck to have an appendage dominate my thought processes and influence my decisions, LOL). I am a female, a wife, a daughter, a sister and a mom. The fact that I happen to fly airplanes for a living is irrelevant.